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It’s Time

We're calling on the government to make sure every child who's experienced abuse gets support. But we need your help.

The story so far

Up to 9 in 10 children who are abused at an early age will go on to develop a mental illness by the time they're 18. But too often, it's only when a child is self-harming or on the brink of suicide that support opens up for them.

It's unacceptable that a child who has lived through abuse needs to be at crisis point before they get help.

Thank you to everyone who stood up for children and demanded change. With your support, we went to Downing Street to hand in over 30,000 signatures to Government.

Campaign with us

Give a voice to children when no one is listening. Join us to keep children on the political agenda and make sure every child gets support after abuse.

What you've helped us achieve

October

31,000 called on the government to count every child who's been abused and need support.

May

50% of new police and crime commissioner candidates pledged support for our campaign.

April

The Education Committee backed our call for all children entering care to receive a specialist mental health assessment.

January onwards

20,907 people emailed their MP to demand that every child receives support to MP Jeremy Hunt.

With your support we can:

Count every child

With our petition, we can make it a requirement to count every child who has been abused and needs support. This will show where the gaps are in services.

See where services are needed

We can build a picture of where more services are needed so every child has access to the essential therapeutic support they need.

Support children's mental health

And we can support every child's mental health when they need us most. So that all children are safe, healthy and can achieve everything they're capable of.

How abuse affects young people

Abuse can derail a child's development and mental health. Without support, up to 90% of children abused at an early age will go on to develop mental health issues like depression, self-harm or even suicidal thoughts by the time they're 18. But it doesn't have to be like this.

Therapy can be life-changing

We've learnt that support like talking therapy or play therapy can be life-changing. Sadly, many children don't receive the professional support they need after abuse. But with your help, we can make sure they're able to get support before they reach crisis point.

Our chance to act

The Government has pledged £1.4 billion to improve children's mental health in England over the next 5 years. But we know that abuse can be a key factor for developing mental health issues. Help us make sure there enough services are available to support children who've been abused.

It's time to listen

"There are only so many times you're left waiting, told you don't meet the criteria for support or help doesn't exist before you start to think you're unimportant, or even that you deserved the abuse."